ESPN Africa has announced an exciting addition to its programming for sports fans across the continent as it has secured the broadcast rights to Japan Rugby League One (Division 1). Adding to its diverse variety of programming for rugby enthusiasts to enjoy, this exhilarating new league kicked off on ESPN recently and will run for the next six months, leading up to the finals in May 2024.

The Japan Rugby League One has 25 foreign players from seven different countries who participated at the 2023 Rugby World Cup, competing in the 2023/24 season of this prestigious league. The Springbok players signed up to play are: Franco Mostert (Mie Honda Heat), Pieter Steph du Toit (Toyota Verblitz), Faf de Klerk (Yokohama Canon Eagles), Damien de Allende (Saitama Panasonic Wild Knights), Jesse Kriel (Yokohama Canon Eagles), Cheslin Kolbe (Tokyo Suntory Sungoliath) and Kwagga Smith (Shizuoka Blue Revs).